Price of Power
by filthmart
Summary: Xander joins Buffy on patrol one night and is slightly injured by a demon. He recovers quickly almost too quickly and is shocked when he suddenly acquires mysterious strength that rivals even Buffy's. He is elated that he finally possesses something tha
1. Chapter 1

Buffy twirled a loose strand of hair around her fingers and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. A half smile lingered on her lips as she tried (rather unsuccessfully) to focus on the new danger that her watcher was explaining to her in lengthy detail.

"Doesn't 'briefing' me on something mean that that something is supposed to be ... brief?" The slayer asked with mock innocence.

Giles gave her a confused look, and then relinquished a smile.

"Sorry. It's just ... I have only ever heard of the Locquas Demon through my studies. They are extremely rare and, quite frankly, if this new demon you encountered on patrol last night was _in fact_ a Locquas, well then ... I ..."

"Okay, I get it. This is a big deal for you Watcher types."

"Well, yes." Giles looked fondly at his slayer, sliding his hands into his pockets as he ceased pacing and came to a stop in front of the table where she was seated.

Buffy quit twirling her hair and interlaced her fingers, laying her hands in her lap. Her right ankle rested on her left knee, her foot rocking back and forth impatiently as she waited for Giles to continue his "briefing". Picking up on the hint, Giles moved towards the table and picked up a book from the relatively small stack that had been lying on the table when Buffy had arrived. Dead give away that trouble was a-brewing. Giles flipped through several pages, found what he had been looking for, and placed the book in front of Buffy.

"Is that what you fought?"

Buffy looked and nodded.

"In the creepy, hunch-backed flesh."

"Well it seems as if we indeed have a Locquas Demon on our hands. I can't deny my excitement."

Buffy lifted her eyebrows and fitted Giles with a surprised look.

"You're_ excited _that we have some rare monster lurking around the Hellmouth? Correct me if I'm wrong, but usually the rare beasties are more trouble and dangerous than the regular beasties. Which is bad news for the guys that have to slay them ... like me."

Giles acquiesced and nodded his head in agreement, removing his glasses to rub his eyes.

"I understand. Excitement may be a tad bit generous. But it is indeed a unique situation to encounter a Locquas, and frankly I'll relish my opportunity to gloat when I regale the Council of how we defeated it."

Buffy arched her eyebrows again and gave him an expectant look. Giles caught the hint and immediately followed up with, "How _you_ will defeat it, of course."

"That's more like it." Buffy smiled and leaned back in her chair contentedly.

"Now, as for the Locquas Demon's behavioral patterns … I suspect you can plan on seeing him again around midnight tonight. It may be a good idea to carry a more capable weapon than a stake. I suggest –"

"We talkin' shop?" A familiar voice interrupted.

Both Giles and Buffy turned to see Xander enter the library, munching on a family sized bag of Lays. Giles looked annoyed at having been interrupted but Buffy seemed to perk up at the sight of food. Xander plopped down into a chair beside his blonde friend and immediately offered the oversized bag to her. She let out a delighted "Ooh!" and dipped her hand inside just as Giles cleared his throat obnoxiously and picked up where he had left off, his voice slightly elevated.

"As I was saying, the Locquas monster will be a more difficult kill than your average demon. You will need to be on top of your game."

"As opposed to all of the times that I'm … under my game." Buffy stated flatly, lifting her eyebrows and watching for a response from her watcher.

Giles gave her a pointed look and Buffy pretended to lock her lips and throw away the key. When he turned away, she and Xander exchanged looks and stifled their shared laughter.

"I really think you ought to be taking this seriously, Buffy." Giles said softly with his back turned to her.

Buffy and Xander both fell silent and immediately felt guilty for teasing him. God, why were Brits such drama queens?

Attempting to make amends, Buffy scooted her chair back and moved towards her watcher, pausing at the end of the table. She fiddled with her fingers as she gently tried to mend her affront.

"Giles, look. I'm sorry. I really am taking this seriously, I swear. I just … I can't be stuffy all the time, you know? I'd go crazy. And really, this whole Locquas thing is under control. I'll patrol tonight … Xander will come with me … and I'll be sounding the slayer trumpets tomorrow."

Giles turned and arched his eyebrow in confusion.

"You know? Like … in victory or whatever …" Buffy ended lamely. She frowned and stared at him while waiting for a response. Thankfully, Giles exhaled and turned completely towards her with a small smile on his face. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, well, I'll hold you to that." Giles slid his hands into his pockets and stared back at her with his eyes twinkling. Buffy smiled and emitted an airy laugh. She turned around and grabbed her bag off of the back of her chair, then turned back around to Giles.

"Just don't expect me to wear a tunic." She slung the bag over her right shoulder and began to tread out of the library. Before she reached the doors, however, she paused and turned back around, looking at Xander expectantly. He was still seated, munching absently on his potato chips while rooting around inside the bag noisily for another handful. Giles too began to stare at him thoughtfully and after a minute Xander took the hint and hopped out of the chair and joined Buffy at the other end of the library. The slayer and her watcher shared exasperated smiles, and then the two teenagers were gone.

Giles stood for a moment and stare thoughtfully at the place where they had been, then with a great sigh he turned and retreated into his office.


	2. Chapter 2

Shady Hill Cemetery was one of the more active demon hotspots in Sunnydale. Buffy had always managed to score some sort of action when she went through there on patrol, and it had been where she had encountered the Locquas demon the night before. Most demons were not known for their spontaneity and they generally had some sort of habit that allowed one to make an educated assumption on what the monster's next move would be. Therefore, it had pretty much been a no-brainer for Buffy to return there a second night in hopes of seeing the demon again.

It was the perfect night in the cemetery for both demons and slayers alike. The trees were still and the endless rows of white tombstones made an ironic contrast to the dense, dark that engulfed them. Nothing was out of place. The dead slept peacefully and the graveyard was pleasingly silent … sort of.

Xander munched loudly on another handful of potato chips and Buffy gave him an annoyed look. When compared to the quiet around them, the noise from the rustling bag and crunch of the chips sounded like they were being broadcasted on a megaphone.

"Did you really have to bring those with you?" Buffy cast a resentful glare towards the Lays bag.

"A man has to keep his energy up if he's expected to properly fulfill his duties of watching the slayer kick some demon ass. And since when did you become the metaphorical poop of this party?"

Buffy wrinkled her nose at his metaphor and turned away to observe the cemetery.

"I just really want to concentrate on finding this demon so I can bring Giles some good news."

Xander shrugged and began to shake the Lays bag carelessly in an attempt to gather all of the crumbs together so he could finish them off.

"Ah, don't let that drama queen get to ya, Buff. You're doing a great job. I, for one, think that the G-man is getting just a little – AAHH!" Xander's scream abruptly shattered the night's silence.

Buffy whirled around and immediately felt sick at what was in front of her. The Locquas monster from the night before was hovering over Xander's seated form and had sunk its large jaws into Xander's shoulder. The teenage boy screamed in agony and his eyes grew wide with fear as the demon began to drag him over the tombstone he had been leaning against. Buffy flew into action, forgetting about and dropping the battle axe that Giles had recommended she bring with her for this very moment.

She took two giant leaps as her running start then leapt into the air to deliver a powerful front kick to the demon's head. Her aim had to be precise in order to avoid injuring Xander unintentionally, but the slayer didn't falter. As intended, her powerful blow caused the demon to release his victim and sent the monster tumbling backwards while Xander fell to his knees. Buffy did not relent although the demon was still dazed and disoriented by her attack. Her face screwed up with fury and concentration, the slayer executed a backhand and followed up with a right hook to the side of the demon's head. She was sure that she heard something crack. Now running on pure adrenaline, she easily pushed the demon's claws away as it made a sloppy attempt to grab her and delivered a powerful uppercut that sent the monster flying through the air until it landed painfully on its back a few feet away. The demon wailed pitifully and rolled onto its front, obviously in a tremendous amount of pain as it tried to push itself up. Buffy was at its side within seconds and instinctively shoved the heel of her boot against the demon's upper back while simultaneously reaching down with her hands to snap its neck with one graceful twist. Another crack perverted the silent night and then the demon slumped lifelessly against the grass.

Buffy did not look back as she hurried back to Xander, who was still lying on his knees where she had left him. He was cringing in pain and cradling his shoulder the best he could without agitating the wound. A fearful expression construed the slayer's face as she wrapped her arm around her friend's back and hoisted him to his feet.

"Oh, God, Xander. We need to get you to a hospital."

Xander hissed and a pained look came over his face. Buffy stood stock still and supported him until he relaxed. Finally he was able to nod and voice a strained agreement. With Xander leaning heavily against Buffy's sturdy frame, they slowly made their way towards the cemetery's exit.


End file.
